Prosecutor: suspect said not responsible for “Vote Trump”
A member of an African American church in Mississippi admitted setting the church on fire but never took responsibility for the words "Vote Trump" that were spray painted on the outside of the building the night of the blaze, a prosecutor said Thursday.
The fire and the vandalism happened a week before the 2016 presidential election, raising fears among some local residents that the act could be a hate crime in a region where churches have been burned in the past to intimidate black voters.
Andrew McClinton gave investigators varying accounts when he admitted setting the fire at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, Washington County District Attorney Dewayne Richardson said Thursday.
Richardson said McClinton was involved in "illicit" activities at the church and set the fire to prevent fellow congregants from meeting the next day to discuss the activities.
"He was trying to hide that information from being disclosed," Richardson said, without elaborating on what the activities were.
McClinton, 47, pleaded guilty to arson on March 28 and was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.
McClinton was sentenced as a habitual offender because of previous felony convictions for attempted armed robbery in 1997 and armed robbery in 2004, both in another part of Mississippi. Because of his previous convictions, McClinton will not be eligible for early release, Richardson said.
Circuit Judge Margaret Carey-McCray also gave McClinton a 10-year suspended sentence, with some of that suspended sentence under state supervision.
Richardson said police believe McClinton acted alone, and the investigation is closed.
The investigation of the church burning began in the evening hours of Nov.1, 2016. The Greenville Fire Department responded to a 911 call for a fire at the Hopewell Church on Delesseps Street.
Upon arrival they found the church fully engulfed in flames. Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies began their investigations into the fire and over the course of a several weeks-long investigation McClinton was named as a suspect. The investigation resulted in the collection of cell phone records and video surveillance that tied McClinton to the scene.
McClinton was arrested Dec. 21, 2016, about seven weeks after the church erupted into flames and was vandalized with the words “Vote Trump” spray-painted on the side.
City officials quickly classified the Nov. 1, 2016 arson as a “hate crime” and sought the help of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, FBI, Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and the State Fire Marshal office to conduct a thorough investigation.
In December 2016, McClinton gave a confession to law enforcement in which he admitted to setting the fire in the church using the church’s electrical wires to light the carpet on fire.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys John Herzog Jr. Kaylon McCou and Austin Frye.
“Without the dedicated and diligent teamwork of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies striving to attain justice, this painful chapter in the long history of the Hopewell M.B. Church could not have been closed,” Herzog said. “Those members of the public who assisted law enforcement deserve a special note of recognition and praise, this case could not have been closed and McClinton brought to justice without their valuable assistance.”
The case was investigated by the Greenville Fire Department, the Greenville Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Mississippi State Fire Marshal’s Office. Local businesses and citizens also provided valuable assistance to law enforcement during the course of the investigation.
Richardson said he was satisfied with the case being closed.
“The Office of the District Attorney is elated to bring closure to a single incident that gave a black eye to the Queen City of the Mississippi Delta,” Richardson said. “Through McClinton’s selfish actions, he brought national attention to our community. On today, McClinton admitted guilt before Circuit Court McCray and he will soon be sentenced for his actions.”
McClinton first appeared in court in June 2017 and plead not guilty.
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is not classifying this as a hate crime.
Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons said he believes the crime is one rooted in hate and requested agencies pursue the investigation as a hate crime.
“I still think it is a hate crime. Anyone who burns down a place of worship – it doesn’t matter if it is black or white, a republican or democrat– when you burn down a place of worship, it should be prosecuted as a hate crime. That is an action that stems from hate.”
Simmons said though the actions of McClinton were immoral, a positive message came after the tragedy.
“It is a story of hope. People came from Alabama to donate their labor, people donated materials and generously gave her locally as well as from across the nation.
“People really pulled together to show unity and faith in one another, and that is a beautiful testimony to what we can accomplish together,” Simmons continued. “First Baptist opened their doors to their neighbors to worship together.”
After the campaign raised more than $260,000 from 6,880 donors, it was dispersed from GoFundMe to Bishop Green.
J. Blair Reeves Jr. started a GoFundMe campaign after the investigation made national headlines.
Reeves wrote a message to potential donors on the site, “...Unknown criminals burned a predominantly black Baptist church in Greenville, Mississippi and scrawled graffiti on it: "Vote Trump".
The animus of this election cycle combined with the potent racial history of burning black churches as a political symbol makes this event something we must not ignore. ... Can we help show the world, the country, and most importantly, the churchgoers of Hopewell Baptist that we, as a society, are better than this?”
While the new building has mostly been completed, some work still remains unfinished and the building not being used.
Reeves said he is disappointed the church has not yet been fully rebuilt.
“That sounds really weird,” Reeves said in a statement to the DD-T. “Really curious where the money has gone.”
Hopewell’s Bishop, Clarence Green, commented last year that group efforts to rebuild the church were miraculous to watch.
Repeated calls and messages to Green have not been returned.
Local developer Bill Boykin headed the rebuilding project. Boykin said church members have been worshiping at First Baptist Church in Greenville, which offered its facilities after the crime was committed.
“Unfortunately they ran out of money, but they have continued to make progress,” Boykin said regarding the church’s rebuilding status. “The building is built. They finally have electrical and HVAC done and is in process of hanging sheetrock but still have a way to go with the finish work.”
Reeves said issues surrounding hate crimes are multifaceted and important to discuss.
“There's really tremendous damage that faked hate crimes like this do,” Reeves said. “We're living in an era where extremely real hate crimes against racial and religious minorities are proliferating – and very often deadly. So when faked ones like this happen, they undermine the seriousness of all those others happening.”
Moving forward despite the actions of individuals orgroups is something Reeves said is important.
“White supremacist violence is surging all over the country, and unfortunately, we in the south – arguably no where more than Mississippi – have a long and painful history of it. So no where is the harm of a faked attack worse,” Reeves said.
